Estimate the age of a bottled wine that has a tritium, ³H, content 60% that of freshly bottled wine.Tritium decays by beta decay and has a half-life of 12.3 yr.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Assuming the tritium content decreases exponentially, we can use the formula: 
N(t) = N0 * (1/2)^(t/T1/2) 
where 
N0 = original amount of tritium 
N(t) = amount of tritium after time t 
T1/2 = half-life of tritium

Let's assume the original tritium content of the freshly bottled wine was 100%. Therefore, the tritium content of the aged wine is 60%. 
So, 
60% = 100% * (1/2)^(t/12.3) 
Solving for t: 
t = 9.1 years

Therefore, the estimated age of the bottled wine is 9.1 years. 
The answer is C.

Estimate the Age of a Bottled Wine That Has a Tritium